The rookie season of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa included Tua being yanked on multiple occasions for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. With Fitzpatrick becoming a free agent and with the Dolphins potentially interested in keeping him around, we asked Tua the following question during a recent visit to PFT Live.
Here’s the question: “I saw Ryan Fitzpatrick talking this week about wanting to play next year. Do you want him to come back or are you kind of ready to say, ‘I’ve got this. I don’t need to have a relief pitcher?”
Here’s the answer: “I’ve learned a tremendous amount from Ryan. He’s a great person. I think we’ll continue to have this strong relationship whether he comes back to Miami or whether he doesn’t. But I’ve learned a tremendous amount and I know that he’s always someone that I can always call throughout the season or throughout the year.”
There’s no yes or no in that answer. Presumably, Tagovailoa (like any starting quarterback) surely would prefer not to be removed during a game for his backup. He nevertheless handled it well when it happened in 2020.